Thanks Bob. I ll check that out for the trip. I was going to transfer the 75k UR points for the 3 ni

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With the recent news of the  30,000 point bonuses for Amex Starwood cards  and the  $100 statement credit with the Citi Hilton Reserve card , I thought louisville ky hotels it was time to review what I see as the best hotel credit card offers available.
Sign-up bonuses are the fastest way to rack up points and miles, and in order to maximize the great deals out there, a lot of folks apply for multiple cards in a single day. The benefit of this is that card issuers generally won’t see your other applications on that same day, increasing your chances of approval and making louisville ky hotels it easier over time to track how long credit card inquiries remain on your credit report.
When you complete all your applications in one day, the inquiries generally fall off your credit report in batches as well. Let me be clear here, this is not an exact science, and I don’t stick to a strict quarterly schedule louisville ky hotels myself. If there’s an incredibly generous limited-time offer, louisville ky hotels I’ll still apply even if it’s not timed to my quarterly schedule.
Before you get started, be sure to check out my posts on  How To Check Your Credit – Preparing For The Credit Card Application Process louisville ky hotels , and  When To Cancel A Card – My Personal Card Inventory and Decision Process .
Value: louisville ky hotels I value the Starpoints at about 2.1 cents a piece ($630 for the sign-up bonus) louisville ky hotels and I leverage the 2 stay/5 nights elite benefits (~$100) to hit Platinum status, so the total value to me is about $730 for this card.
Other Benefits: Earn 5 points per dollar at Marriott properties, 2 points per dollar for airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, car rental agencies, and restaurants, and 1 point per dollar elsewhere, free night at category 1-5 property each year upon account anniversary. Silver Elite status, and 1 Elite credit for every $3,000 spent on card.
Value : I value Marriott points at about .5 cents a piece, so the 70,000 points = $350 plus the category 1-4 hotel is worth roughly $125 for a total value of $475, though if you know how to leverage Marriott points (like I did recently to snag a Southwest Companion Pass , you can drastically increase the value of these points).
Other Benefits: Earn 5 points per dollar at Fairmont Hotels, 2 points per dollar spent on airline tickets booked directly with the airline, car rentals, or local transit. Free night annually with $12,000 of spending. Fairmont Premier Status. Complimentary membership to LOUNGE CLUB (2 free visits per year, then $27 per visit). 1 Fairmont Stay Credit for every $7,500 in spend (maximum of 2 anually).
Other Benefits:  Earn 5 points louisville ky hotels per dollar spent at IHG properties, louisville ky hotels 2 points per dollar spent at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Platinum Elite status. louisville ky hotels 10% points back on all IHG Rewards bookings. Annual free night at any property worldwide upon card anniversary.
Value: I value IHG Rewards points at about .7 cents a piece so 60,000 = $420 (if you can get an 80,000 point offer that = $560) plus the 10% return on all award bookings would be at a minimum 60,000 from the sign-up bonus, so 6,000 points ($42) and Platinum status ($50) for a total value of about $512
Other Benefits:   Receive automatic Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum louisville ky hotels elite membership (and up to 20% off room rates thanks to Hyatt’s  new Elite Nights benefit ). Earn 3 points for every $1 spent at all Hyatt properties. louisville ky hotels Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, louisville ky hotels and at car rental agencies. Earn 1 point for every $1 spent elsewhere. No foreign transaction fees. Smart Chip technology louisville ky hotels and extra protections. Free night at category 1-4 property louisville ky hotels every year after your card anniversary.
Value: Those two free nights louisville ky hotels could easily be worth $800 a night considering they re valid at all Hyatt hotels including swanky Park Hyatt properties around louisville ky hotels that world, plus $50 for elite membership gives this card an value to me of about $850.
Current Bonus:  Two weekend night certificates, each good for  one weekend night  (standard room, double occupancy) at most hotels and resorts within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio, after $2,500 spend in 4 months.  $100 statement credit  when you spend $100 or more on a Hilton stay within 3 months of account opening.
Other Benefits:  10 points for every $1 spent on hotel stays within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio. 5 points for every $1 spent on airline and car rental purchases. 3 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases. Automatic Hilton HHonors Gold status; Diamond status with $40,000 annual spend. No foreign transaction fees.  SmartChip technology . Visa Signature benefits. Cardholders who spend $10,000 annually get an anniversary free weekend-night certificate that can be used at any property
Value:  The value of the two free weekend nights could easily louisville ky hotels be worth $700, plus the free night at $10,000 in spend ($300) plus Gold status ($100) minus the annual fee of $95 = value of about $1,005 to me.
Other Benefits:  10 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Carlson Rezidor hotels worldwide, and 5 points per dollar elsewhere. 40,000 bonus points each year after you renew your card and pay the annual fee. Bonus Award Nights –when Gold Points are redeemed for two or more consecutive award nights, the last night is free – exclusively for cardmembers. Automatic Gold Elite Status louisville ky hotels once the card is used. Existing Gold Elite members receive 15 qualifying nights toward Concierge Elite Status.
Value: I value Club Carlson points at about 0.6 cents a piece, louisville ky hotels so the 85,000 = $510 plus the free award night benefit is an easy way to save at least 70,000 points a year ($420) plus $25 in elite status perks $75 = $880 in value to me.
Good article! Small typo under Hyatt: Those two free Marriott nights could easily louisville ky hotels be worth $800 a night considering they’re valid at all Hyatt hotels including swanky Park Hyatt properties around that world, louisville ky hotels plus $50 for elite membership gives this card value to me of about $850. I believe that should say those two free Hyatt nights . Thanks for the post!
I already have the Citi Hilton Reserve, love it, but if I had my fiance get it now for two free nights for our honeymoon next September, do the certificates louisville ky hotels have to be used within a year of you receiving louisville ky hotels your card, or from the statement that you complete the minimum spend?
I wonder how long until I get the two free nights from Hyatt. I met the spend req yesterday and I m going to the Hyatt in Aruba on Saturday for 3 nights. Those two free nights would save 50,000 louisville ky hotels UR points.
I was wondering how quickly the Fairmont free nights post. I was thinking about applying for the card and using the free nights for a trip to boston over the fourth of july. Do you think they will post quickly after the minimum is spent?
I d personally save those 2 free nights for higher value redemptions if you have any such trips in the next year .such as Park Hyatt Tokyo/Sydney/Paris/NYC .where the room price can be over $1k a night.
If I m not mistaken, it can t. But the Ritz benefits can be used at Marriot. I know that for sure. Ritz visa is pretty fantastic now. Primary rental insurance and 300 dollar airline reimbursement that can be used towards gift cards. Plus it offers the highest insurance, lost baggage reimbursment, airline delay and item return protection of any card. It s a good one.
Thanks Bob. I ll check that out for the trip. I was going to transfer the 75k UR points for the 3 nights but I like the cash + points option. I m with you would like to hold those nights for a better option. Thanks again.
It states- This one-time bonus offer is valid only for first-time Hyatt Credit Cardmembers with new accounts. Previous and existing Hyatt Credit louisville ky hotels Cardmembers/accounts are not eligible louisville ky hotels for this bonus offer. Chase is not responsible for offer fulfillment. If your account is not open for at least 3 months, Hyatt and Chase reserve the right to deduct the Free Night Awards from your Hyatt Gold Passport account.
My wife and I stayed at the Fairmont louisville ky hotels Kea Lani in January. I didn t have any issues when booking the rooms, and we booked relatively late for award stays (3 months prior to arriving). In addition to the 4 free nights, all of the various statement credits totaled up to $300. (My wife and I each got the card).
@Jakepb:disqus Not a problem. We took an 8 day vacation and stayed 4 nights at the Fairmont louisville ky hotels and 4 nights at the Andaz Maui which just recently opened and is right down the street from the Fairmont (2 free nights with the Hyatt card). 4 simple credit card applications for $4000-$5000 in hotel stays. Can t beat it.
We were supposed to go for a week but we have to cut it short. I weighed paying the $400 in change fees from AA vs 35k miles on a non-stop back to EWR (so flying out of PHL and coming back to EWR). The nonstop on UA is much better time wise so we grabbed it. Now we ll just have to cancel the return on AA. Gotta love travel plans changing on the fly.
Amazing. It doesn t look like theres many of those Park Hyatt and I never really travel outside of US. So the main advantage is just those two free nights? What else does the card get you? I thought louisville ky hotels i read something about discounted rates
It also gets you Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum status which will provide you with an Elite Rate (when available) which is a 20% discount over the standard rack rate, and 3 points per dollar spent at Hyatt properties. You get a free night in a category 1-4 hotel on each anniversary of holding the card, but you have to pay the annual fee of $75. To me it is worth holding the card because I can get more than $75 in value from the free night.
Hi Corey, first thing is the AmEx cards are a bit harder to get accepted in some Chinese areas. If you are staying in Tier 1 or Tier